Four Arcadia Seniors Present at Criminal Justice Sciences Conference in Gettysburg
Criminology and Criminal Justice majors Serena Goodridge ’25, Jocelyn Horan ’25, Robert Ahern ’25, and Kyle Stump ’25 presented research at the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences (NEACJS) annual conference from June 5-7 in Gettysburg, Pa. They traveled alongside Associate Professor Dr. Favian Martín and Assistant Professor Dr. Kevin Revier, who both presented at the conference.
“It was rewarding as an educator to witness the students engaging in original research,” explained Dr. Martín. “Each topic is timely as we are seeing these social problems become more pervasive in light of the political climate whether it is anti-trans legislation or an uptick in hate crimes against vulnerable communities. For the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program, we want our students to be aware of social inequality and how to promote social justice in the field.”
Research presented at the event included:
“The March on the Capital: An Analysis of Punishment Among 1/6 Rioters” by Serena Goodridge and Dr. Favian Martín
Goodridge researched and presented on the January 6th insurrection, provided an analysis of the events that occurred, and examined how the United States Judicial System handled the event. The research examines all parties that were involved, from those who were there at the Capitol doors to those who were behind the scenes, planning from a hotel room.
“I had an incredible time participating and I am so grateful I got to attend,” shared Goodridge. “This was my first time being asked to attend an academic conference like this, so I was just honored to be there and get the opportunity to do research like this. Being able to share my research with such high academic minds, discussing the topic with them, and hearing their feedback was so insightful and a great experience overall!”
“Trans Rights Behind Bars: Exploring Trans-Related Social Problems in Prison” by Jocelyn Horan and Robert Ahern
Ahern and Horan focused on the injustices that transgender women face while being incarcerated in male prisons and jails. Through their research and case studies, they found that transgender women are at a significantly higher risk of facing physical abuse, medical mistreatment, and verbal abuse.
“It is essential that more awareness is brought to this issue because these women’s safety and well-being is on the line,” explained Horan. “Even though these women are incarcerated, there still needs to be compassion for them because no human should be treated in such a way.”
While reflecting on the experience, Ahern said, “It was very enjoyable to go into an academic setting and present a topic. It made me feel like my hard work in school was beginning to pay off. Overall, being with my favorite professors and some known students from school made it easy to have conversations and have a good time. I’m very happy with the outcome.”
“I’m not going to lie it was a bit daunting to enter an academic space such as presenting at the conference,” explained Horan. “But our research topic is so important to me that I wanted to be able to do it justice. After some time, it was no longer as intimidating as I previously thought and my passion for our work was able to make presenting so much easier.”
“Figuring Out Hate: Motivations of Arson-Related Hate Crimes in Places of Worship” by Kyle Stump, Drs. Favian Martín, and Kevin Revier
In his research, Stump investigated the dramatic increase in hate crimes in recent history. He notes that places of worship have been targeted at an increased rate and that arson appears to be the preferred tool for these crimes. The reason for this, as he explains, is that it completely destroys the livelihoods of those belonging to religious congregations by damaging their property, and eliminating their center of community, all while allowing hateful ideologies to be perpetuated in an aggressive manner.
“Communing with the Dead in Gettysburg: Dark Tourism, Racism, and U.S. History” by Drs. Favian Martín and Kevin Revier
Drs. Martín and Revier traveled to the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War to examine the ghost tours, haunted houses, and a haunted museum through the lens of Ghost Criminology. In doing so, they found that the tours reinforce common historical narratives about the Civil War including a reconciliation narrative and a “Lost Cause” narrative, both of which position the South in a more positive light. They explain that these tours, and the stories of Confederate ghosts still haunting the area, represent the reality of white supremacy not being fully extinguished with the abolition of slavery.
“We hope that our students will use their initial research as a basis for their senior capstone projects. Perhaps, collect data and come up with policy recommendations to address the social problem,” Dr. Martín said. “As for the dark tourism paper, we have submitted our manuscript on this topic to Routledge Press for an upcoming book that examines dark tourism in Salem, New Orleans, and a southern plantation.”
The NEACJS is an organization dedicated to sharing information with members, developing philosophy and quality education, and promoting long-term planning and research in the criminal justice system. This year’s conference included complete panel discussions, individual paper presentations, poster presentations, roundtable discussions, and workshops.
